Music-roll perforator and printer



n. d., max/aua.'

MUSIC ROLL PERFQRATOR AND PRINTER. APPLICATION FILED JUNE 13. |921.,277, PatentedSept. 5, 1922,

2 SHEETS.-SHEE1 I.

J. l. DAVILLA.

Muslc ROLL PEREORATORAND PRINTER;

- APRLICATION vF-iLED JUNE 13 'i921- 2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

Patented Sept. 5,` 1922.

'miran STATES PATENT. oFFica-j.;

I'OSEIIEH` JOHN DAVILLA, OF NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA. Y

' Music-ROLL rnnnonafron 'AND PRINTER.'

Application le'd June 13, 1921." Serial No. l177,297.

vTo alt whom t may concern: y

Be it known that I, JOSEPH J. DAVILLA. a citizen of the United States,residing at New Orleans, in the parish'of Orleanswand yments inperforating and printing inechanism for the paper rolls of player pianosand the like automa-tic musical instruments. 'and has for an object toprovide an improved machine of this character in which a series lofclosely assemb-leclpunches are made to opi taneously.

erate upon the paper-roll 'or web by the use of electromagneticactuating 'devices controlled from the keyboard of the'instrument.

It isanother object of the invention! to provide a closely assembledgrouping of the electro-magnets and of the actuating arms or armaturesthereof' which connect with the punches and are supported upon a table`top of the machine in two 1 groups at opposite sides of the line of thevpunches.

A further object' of the invention lies in providing in conjunction withthe improved perforating devices, a printing mechanism involvingvthe useof an endless printing band having desired characters thereon to showthe tempo and otherfidireetions, and which will move continuously inconnection with the band to the end thatbothperforating andprinting-"operations may be accomplished in the one machine and simul- Vith these and other objects in view the invention consists in the novel.details of construction and combinations of parts more ligure l is aplan view withv a portion broken away of an improved perforatingandprinting machine constructed according to the present invention; and

Fig. 2Y is a 5331er vertical sectional View of the Referring moreparticularly y'to the draw-y ings, l designates a table supported on` asuitable framework including the legs 2. In the central portion of thetable is. provided an anvil 3 having a centra-l transverse slot 4;therein to receive-the punches as yhereinafter described.' f

Qpe'nings 5 andG are made transversely at opposite sides of the anvil 3to receive the paperl roll or web 7'wliich is initially wound on aroller 8 'at one sideof the machine. Fromgthe roller y8, the web 7vpasses up beneath a guide roller 9 .and over a companion guide roller10 which the slot 5 and preferably slightly above the upper surface ofthe anvil 3 *in orderto suspend the web"'7 Ajust above its surface, thuseasing its passaget-hereacrossf` Similar projects up into i guiderollers ll andrl2'are provided iny and beneath the slot-16to'receivethe'web- Z in the `manne-rfillustratedn Figf 2.

A further pair of'guide rollers 13 alnd'li, are provided respectivelybeneath the table top 1 at the right side vvof the machine'an'd in an,opening ,l'madethrough the table top. The web is thus carried above aprint-V ing platen 16' formed by al portion of the table topV andthereafter directed downso"l wardly 4over a` guide.' roller'lheld ron abracket 18 affixed `to 'the 'table or a suitable support. The webtake-up .roll 19 is supported beneath the guide roll I7. v i v Above theanvil 3 are thepunches2() reciprocating verticallyin apair of guides 2land 22 held spaced apart by blocksv 23 and.

having central vertically alining perforations to receive the severalpunches 20 `and to guide them in af'vve'rticallyreciprocating.

movement. v

, End uprigh`ts24 A are 4provided upon the table top yat its centralportion to receive a beam25/extend'ing in spaced relation above theupper guide22' and acting as a stop to limit the upward movement-.of allof the Punches:

The beam 25 is considerably.widerwthan theupper guide 22 and extends toopposite sides :thereof where it carries twoseries o'f screw` eyes 26and 27 having adjusting and lockf nuts 28 and29 to vary the verticalpfositions of the screw eyes. This isdesiifable to place the requisitetensionY upon :coil

springs 30 and 31,' the upperfends of which' are-carried in` theeyes ofthe members 26 and 27 which connect at their lower ends with the arms orarmatures 32 and 3 The arm-s 32 extend in one direction or toward oneend` of the table, while the arms 33 extend in an opposite direction.The free ends of the arms come together near the punches and each punchis provided with a centrally offset portion or boss 34 having' a socket35 in which to receive freely the end of its actuating arm. The arms 32are pivotally connected, as indicated at 36, to the upper ends otstandards 37 erected ou the table top. y

In a similar manner the other series of arms 33 are pivoted in the upperends of standards 38 mounted uponthe table top at suitable points toreceive the same. The arms 32 extend near theirpivot points aboveindividual electro-magnets 39, upon the energization of which thearmatures are drawn down, with a consequent similar movement of theattached punch 20. A like result is had by the association with the arms33 of electro-magnets 40.

It will be noted more particuarly from an inspection of Fig. l that theelectro-magnets y 39 and 40 are disposed in diagonal groups,

live `such groups being shown at opposite sides of the punches. Thegroups at one side being` arranged in an opposite direction as comparedwith those at the opposite side of the lmachine. This arrangementpermits the armatures to be located closertogether without interferencefrom one another, and permits a closer grouping of the punches 2O sothat a more compact machine results.

The punches are arranged as indicated in Fig. 2 in circuits 4l and withindividual keys of a keyboard 42. A source o'f cnrrent 43 is included inthe circuit and normally open contacts 44 and 45 are adapted to beclosed by the keys. In this way a selective closing or vibrating` of theelectro magnets is had so that proper controlling perforations may bemade in the paper web 7 to reproduce corresponding notes upon the piano.

In Fig. l I have shown a pedal perforating mechanism 4G which is a punchot a similar nature also magnetically actuated and which will beunderstood from the above v description.

In conjunction with a perforating mechanism I also provide a printingendless band 47 of an over-all length approximately nearly to that ofweb 7, such band 47 being trained abouta pair of rollers 48' and 49 lolcated at one side of the machine and about other rollers'50, 5l and 52at theopposite side of the machine and upon and about a central roller53 located beneath the anvil 3.

The roll 52 may be the drive roll and may receive a suitable source ofpower for this purpose. Both runs of the web 47 extend upwardly at theright-'hand side ofthe machine, as thus seen in Fig. 2, and the lowerrun extends initially above a guide roller 54 and subsequently beneath apressure roller 55 which guides'and 'forces the printing surface of theband against the web as it passes upon the platen 16.

The upper guide roll 56 receives the band 47 from the pressure roll 55,an inking roller 57 preferably"being` located in conjunction with theroll-56,'theband taking `the course indicated by the arrow. A similarguide roll 53 'is mounted upon the roll 54 and ree ceives the oppositerun of the belt. A frame 59 is employed to hold vall four of the rollers54, 55, 56 and 53, and is preferably a skeleton trame mounted in anysuitable way upon parts or the table top 1.

its the web 7 moves above the anvil 3, the keyboard 42 is actuated in awell known manner, and as the various keys are depressed, correspondingcircuits through the respective magnets 39 and 40 will be closed whichwill energize these magnets and cause them to attractv their respectivearmatures 32 or `When the switch E is closed the master vibrator A isbrought into action by current from thcbattery 43, with the result thatthe armature I3 is set to vibrating. making and breaking contact withContact arm C; This `action is continuous. When any individualkey onkeyboard 42 is depressed, and contacts 44 and 45 brought to'-` gether,then magnets`39 or 40, as the case may be. are energized andconsequentlyl draw down their armatures 32 or 33. As long as theindividual key in keyboard 42, or number of keys in the keyboard, aredepressed. magnets 39 or 40 controlled by lthe individual keys willcontinue to pulsate armatures 32 or 33. and will vcontinue this punchinguntil key is released iny the keyboard. This pulsation effect in magnets39l and`40 of arinatures 32 andy 33 is caused by the making and breakingeffect of arm Cy with vibrator arm B; the whole being actuated by themaster vibrator magnet A.

A single .vibrator magnet may govern they whole, which is the preferredconstruction.

The above vibrating current causes a. conI tinuous vibration eiiiect ofthe punches, the punch holes being made to voverlap in the web. Thisproduces an elongated slot in accordance with thelength of time thepiano key is kept depressed. l

The punches will be driven downwardly through the web 7 and the 'slot 4in the anvil 3 and will thus produce a controlling peroration in the webwhich will act in conjunction with the tracker of the instrument. Thecoil springs 30 and 3l initially and normally hold-the arms 32 and 33and asso ciated punches inl a raised inoperative'posr tion, and thiscondition continues so long .as the magnets remainA de-energized.v

y A suitable tension is put yupon the springs 30 and 3l by theadjustment of the screw eyes through the nuts 28- and 29. In this way asharp accurate perforation lis made by a quickly responsive punch. rIhepedal punch A6 is also actuated in the well known way from the footpedal of the instrument.

As the web 7 is fed to the take-up roll 19 it passes above the platen i6and the pressure roll 55 is so situated with respect to the platen thata driving relation is established between these two parts. Otherwise, ifdesirable, the web and the band 47 may be independently moved. In anyevent the band will move into printing engagement with the web 7 andwill reproduce thereupon various directions as to the tempo andexpression. l

There is also provided a word Iperforator 70 adapted to operate upon theweb near .one edge thereof. It is not actuated by the keyboard but isindependent of all the other punches. This acts as a push button placedat a convenient part of the piano, say, forinstance, on the right arm,so that when a master roll is being perforated in order to establish theproper position for the inserting of words by the printing belt, asinger will push this button as he forms each word syllable, and in thisway perforations are made at eXtreme side of the roll which do not comewithin the scope of the tracker.

When the music roll is complete it will therefore have perforations inone margin to indicate the proper position for the inserting of words.Then the printing belt is provided with rubber words cemented thereon,which words are brought into printing relation to the web in accordancewith the perforations.

The pedal perforator 46 at the opposite side of the machine is forpurposes of tone expression and is operated by the pedal of the piano.`

It will be appreciated from the foregoing that I have provided anexceedingly compact perforating and printing mechanism for player pianovrolls and the like in which the punches and their individual actuatingdevices are associated compactly and grouped close together so as toform a comparatively small machine to accommodate a. printing mechanismwhich is mounted partially beneath the framework of the perforatedmachine and necessitates only few and simple parts above the paper webat a single point.

It is obvious that those skilled in the art may vary the details ofconstruction and arrangements of parts without departing from the spiritof my invention, and therefore I do not wish to be limited to suchfeatures except as may be required by the claims.

Iv claim:

l. A music roll perforator and printer comprising a table having slotstherein with a portion forming an anvil between the slots,selectively-controlled punches above the anvil for perforating the web,means beneath the table for supporting the web and guiding it upon theupper surface of the anvil through one of the slots and subscquentlydownwardly throughy the other slot at the opposite side of the anvil,said table having a further slotted portion forming a platen, and meansfor guiding the web upon the platen, substantially vas described.

2. A music roll perforator and printer comprising a table having slotsthereinand an anvil between the slots, selectively-controlled punchesfor perforating the web vwhen upon the anvil, means to initially carrythe web beneath the table at one side, guide rollers situated at theslots for directingl the web upon the anvil and for returning `itbeneaththe table, said table having an end portion providing a latenwitha slot leading to the upper surface thereof, and guide rollers forreceiving the web and directing.

it upon the platen, substantially as vdescribed. Y,

3. A music roll perforator and printer comprising a table having slotsand an anvil between the slots, punches above the anvil,electro-magnetic means for actuating the punches situated on the tableat opposite sides of the slots, and means to guide a web upwardly uponthe anvil and thence down beneath the table after being perforated bythe punches, said table having a portion at onefend thereofappropriatedto form a platen, adapted to receive the web after its passage acrossthe anvil, substantially as described.

4l. A music roll perforator and printer r comprising a table, supportinglegs therefor, two series of electro-magnets supported upon oppositesides of the table center, said table center providing an anvil withslots to either side thereof and a central slot, c v

punch holding and guiding means above the anvil, punches movably heldtherein in normally and yieldably raised position and connected foractuation to said electro-magnets whereby to perforate a web, means forguiding a web beneath the table up through one Vslot across the anviland down through/the other slot, said table having an end portionforming a platen with a slotl at one side thereof, and means for guidingthe web` through said last slot upon the plate, substantially asdescribed.

Josnrn JoHNnAviLLA.

